A contest by Cintas Canada is calling on the public to nominate businesses with the best washroom.

While it’s a contest that’s easy to pooh-pooh, the point of the prize is to highlight the importance of how washroom hygiene has an effect on a customer’s experience, said Candice Raynsford, marketing manager for Cintas Canada.

It’s also worth noting that past winners of the contest have included washrooms from places that are typically deemed unremarkable, but somehow managed to flush away the competition by providing a unique lavatory experience.

Quirky picks that ended up winning the contest have included two gas station washrooms in Alberta and a duty-free shop in Ontario.

“In the past, it tends to be the unsuspecting businesses that win the title,” Raynsford said.

Now in it’s 10th year, the public will have until June 14 to submit their pick for the prettiest potty at bestrestroom.com/Canada. Five finalists will be selected in mid-July, at which time online votes from the public can trickle in. The winner will be announced in the fall.

Nominations will be judged on five elements: Cleanliness, visual appeal, functionality, innovation and design elements.

Aside from bragging rights, the business with the winning washroom will receive $2,500 in facility services from Cintas.

The winner can also count on more foot traffic, Raynsford said, pointing out past victors like a Shell gas station in Valleyview, Alta. — it took top toilet honours in 2013 — have told them that more guests choose to make a pit stop there.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.